Chelsea Transfer News: Latest on Antoine Griezmann and Antonio Rudiger Rumours

When it comes to Chelsea in the transfer window, you just never know what’s going to happen.

The Blues are linked with a marquee signing like Paul Pogba one week, reported here by the Telegraph, and the likes of former Manchester United flop Radamel Falcao the next, as reported by the Daily Star.

Either way, it seems as if Jose Mourinho is keen to add to his already talented pool of players, and here we round up the latest rumours on two of his reported targets.

Antoine Griezmann

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Chelsea are on the lookout for a new star to join their exciting attacking-midfield trio, and Antoine Griezmann could be the man for the job.

The Atletico Madrid attacker was one of the Spanish side’s top performers last season, scoring 22 La Liga goals and proving to be a handful for defences across the division—per WhoScored.com.

However, it seems that the Blues now have to give up the ghost, as Paris Saint-Germain have moved into pole position to sign the 24-year-old.

Daniel Ochoa de Olza/Associated Press

According to reports in Italy (via Ben Jefferson of the Daily Express) the Ligue 1 champions have tabled a £28.5 million bid to bring Griezmann back to his native France.

However, Atletico are understandably reluctant to sell their star man, with his £43 million release clause believed to be the minimum bid that’ll be accepted.

Time will tell as to how the 2013/14 La Liga champions respond to the bid, but Blues fans will hope that it springs Mourinho and Co. into life.

If PSG are testing the water by trying to tempt Atletico into accepting a bid, why can’t Chelsea?

Griezmann will undoubtedly add something to the Blues’ setup, and Garry Hayes echoed that sentiment in Bleacher Report’s exclusive video last month:

Plus, it appears that one of the Blues’ other big attacking targets, Gareth Bale, will be staying in Madrid for at least another season, according to George Bellshaw's report on Metro.co.uk.

The Welshman tweeted his excitement at joining his Real teammates ahead of the 2015/16 campaign:

Sure, Twitter logic counts for very little, but it would be surprising to see Bale give up at the Bernabeu so easily, especially with new manager Rafa Benitez at the helm.

While £43 million is a lot of money, it would get Chelsea a lot of player, as Griezmann undoubtedly has the talent to take them to the next level.

Plus, with Juan Cuadrado disappointing so far, reinforcements are needed in the attacking third.

Antonio Rudiger

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From one end of the pitch to the other, now, as Chelsea are reportedly edging closer to landing a long-term replacement for skipper John Terry.

According to the Telegraph, Stuttgart defender Antonio Rudiger is on Mourinho’s wish list, with a bid potentially in the pipeline.

Rudiger impressed immensely with Stuttgart last season following his switch from Borussia Dortmund and has also established himself on the international stage with Germany.

He’s a fast, quick-thinking defender whose ability to read the game is worthy of a player far more senior than his 22 years.

Alex Grimm/Getty Images

Plus, the fact that he’s so young means his potential is incredibly exciting, and he could well prove to be the next Terry.

The skipper isn't showing any signs of retiring anytime soon, either, as he's seemingly getting better with age.

He even proved a certain Mourinho wrong when he rejoined Chelsea, as the Portuguese manager recently admitted to Jason Burt of the Telegraph that he thought Terry's career was over back in 2013:

"

I thought he was over. Because he hadn’t played for the previous two years, two or three consecutive matches. He was not an option for the managers. He was injured. The managers preferred other players in front of him. 

[...]

He said he’d prove he deserves a place in the team, a very simple process. Obviously, he was fantastic.

"

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Even so, Chelsea still need to prepare for Terry's departure, and according to Bild (via Lewis Rudd of Metro), Rudiger’s brother and agent has revealed that Stamford Bridge is one of the player’s ideal destinations.

As usual with the Blues, though, Rudiger could well make the switch and be loaned straight out, but getting him on the books could prove to be a very wise decision.

Chelsea enjoyed glory on the domestic stage last term, and they now need to take that into Europe and into the future.

Griezmann and Rudiger could well cover both bases—it’s all just a case of whether Mourinho fancies splashing the cash or not.